The present invention relates to a process for decomposing organosulfur compounds in an efficient and effective manner using a decomposition reagent made from readily available and a relatively inexpensive starting materials.
During the past several years, there has been developed at the Franklin Research Center of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Pa., a reagent and method for stripping the halogen substituents from various halogenated organic compounds, including PCBs, thus rendering them non-toxic and readily disposable. More specifically, Pytlewski, Krevitz and Smith, in their U.S. patent application Ser. No. 158,359, filed June 11, 1980, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,337,368, describe and claim a method for the decomposition of toxic halogenated organic substances, by treating the toxic substances with a reagent formed from the reaction between an alkali metal, a liquid reactant, such a polyglycol or a polyglycol monoalkyl ether, and oxygen, This reagent, commonly referred to as NaPEG reagent, or simply NaPEG, produces substantially complete dehalogenation simply by mixing it with the halogenated substance under ambient conditions.